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Fellow Foodies!

Happy Sunday and I hope you had a great week and an awesome Halloween. Imagine if your restaurant’s menu could reshape itself for every customer the way Netflix suggests shows or Spotify builds you a playlist. Sounds futuristic, right? Well, the future is here with UEAT. UEAT (pronounced like “you eat” – clever, huh?) is an AI-driven platform that creates dynamic menus tailored to each customer’s data and behavior. It’s like having a personal menu curator for every guest, nudging them towards the items they’re most likely to crave and purchase. The result? Happier customers who find what they want easily, and higher check averages for you. 🍽️💰

What it does:

UEAT provides online ordering and digital menu solutions that leverage artificial intelligence to personalize the menu presentation and make smart recommendations. When a customer interacts with your menu through UEAT – say on your website ordering page or a self-service kiosk – the AI analyzes available data about that customer (could be past orders if they’re a returning user, or general trends if new) and then dynamically arranges or highlights menu items to fit their profile. For example, if the system knows a user often orders vegan items, it might showcase the vegan-friendly dishes at the top of the menu or under a “Recommended for You” section. If another user always gets a cookie with their meal, UEAT will proactively suggest a cookie at checkout to them (and similar users). It’s not one-size-fits-all anymore; each user’s menu experience can be unique.

Even without specific past data, the AI uses overall customer data to make smart upsells: like pairing items commonly bought together, or pushing a high-margin item that people with similar orders often add. UEAT also uses algorithms to do A/B testing on the fly – it might experiment showing an item’s photo vs. just text to see what gets more clicks, then adapt the menu accordingly. It can reorder categories, emphasize specials that align with current weather (hot day? show cold drinks first!), or highlight items you want to push (maybe you have excess stock of salmon; UEAT notices and subtly promotes the salmon dish more). Essentially, the menu becomes dynamic and data-driven, rather than static. The system also collects tons of insights: it learns what menu layouts and suggestions lead to higher conversions (completed orders) and continuously refines itself to maximize sales.

Another key feature: upselling and cross-selling suggestions. Just like Amazon’s “Frequently bought together” or “Customers also liked,” UEAT will suggest add-ons – “Would you like to add a side of guacamole?” or “How about a beer to go with your burger?” – but in a way that’s intelligently targeted rather than random. Over time, it might even personalize pricing or deals (e.g., offer a combo discount to someone who usually buys those items separately, as an incentive). And because it’s AI, this all happens automatically in real-time for each customer interaction. Pretty powerful stuff. UEAT integrates with your POS and inventory too, so it knows not to promote something that’s sold out or to switch things if you 86 an item. It keeps the menu up-to-date across all platforms (online ordering page, mobile app, kiosks) from one hub. They call their AI engine “RAI” (Restaurateur Artificial Intelligence) – which is trained specifically for the hospitality context.

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Why it matters:

Higher conversion rates and bigger basket sizes – that’s music to any restaurateur’s ears. By showing people the menu items they’re most likely to want, UEAT can significantly increase the chances they place an order and that they order more. One plant-based fast-casual chain using UEAT reported a 26% increase in year-over-year sales and a 10% bump in average ticket size after implementing dynamic menus. Those numbers are huge! Essentially, the AI upsells for you, leading customers to try appetizers, drinks, or extras they might have otherwise skipped or not noticed. It’s like having your best server with infinite memory and perfect intuition, upselling every single guest – but digitally. Also, customer experience improves. In the age of short attention spans, an overwhelmed customer facing a long menu might give up or just stick to something basic. But if the menu is tailored – highlighting popular items or things in line with their diet – it feels easier and more engaging. Customers might feel “Wow, this place always seems to have just what I’m in the mood for!” (Even if subconsciously guided there.) That can translate to better satisfaction and loyalty. Speaking of loyalty, UEAT’s personalization fosters repeat business: the more a customer uses it, the more data, the better the recommendations get – it’s an increasing returns loop. They feel the app/website “gets them,” so they keep coming back because ordering is a breeze.

Conversion rate optimization is another big deal: Some folks browse an online menu and then abandon without ordering. UEAT’s AI can reduce that by showing enticing suggestions or combo deals that push them to complete the purchase. For instance, it might detect someone lingering in the dessert section and pop up a limited-time “Add a dessert for 10% off if you order now” – closing the sale. On the business side, data-driven menu decisions become easier. UEAT will give you analytics on what’s working: “Customers who see image X buy more, or lunch customers respond to combo Y.” It’s like having constant focus group testing on your menu. You can refine offerings (maybe even create new bundle deals or promotions) based on those insights. Also, by customizing menus per user or time, you can handle different dayparts or demographics without needing separate menus – the AI handles it fluidly. From a marketing perspective, it’s gold: say you have a loyalty member identified when they log in – you could have UEAT greet them by name and highlight their favorite dish currently on special. That personal touch can deepen loyalty.

And importantly, revenue that might be left on the table gets captured. Many restaurants leave money on the table by not upselling or not showcasing high-profit items well. UEAT ensures every order has the best shot at being maximized – which in aggregate can substantially boost your revenue (imagine every check consistently 5-10% higher – that’s transformative to annual sales). Additionally, by analyzing customer choices, you can better manage inventory and even menu engineering (e.g., identify that a suggested substitution of ingredient drives more sales, informing your R&D). In an environment where online orders are a growing chunk of business, having a dynamic AI menu can give you a leg up on competitors still using static PDFs or basic ordering systems. In essence, UEAT helps you sell more and satisfy more, automatically.

Who it’s for:

Restaurants that do online ordering, mobile ordering, or self-service kiosks would benefit immensely. This is particularly great for fast-casual chains, quick-service restaurants, coffee shops, pizzerias, etc., where menu variety is decent and upselling opportunities are plentiful. Any place with a substantial digital ordering presence (be it takeout or on-premise kiosks) should look at UEAT. If you’re a small mom-and-pop with a tiny fixed menu, personalization might not move the needle much. But if you have a broad menu or lots of add-ons (think build-your-own bowl concepts, or pizzerias with toppings, or burger joints with sides and drinks) – the AI can really optimize those combos to increase spend. Also, multi-location restaurants where gathering and utilizing customer data at scale is possible – they’ll see big benefits. A single independent restaurant could too, especially if they have loyal repeat customers or a diverse clientele (like a big menu that appeals to different diets or preferences).

If you use loyalty programs, UEAT can integrate those and use that info for personalization, which makes your loyalty program more effective. For delivery-heavy restaurants or ghost kitchens, maximizing each order’s value is key since volume counts – UEAT would be great there to ensure every online customer gets targeted suggestions (maybe a family meal upgrade or extra item). Even for dine-in, if you use digital menus (QR code menus or tablet menus), UEAT could personalize those as well (e.g., a returning guest scanning QR could see a “Welcome back, here are your favorites” section – how cool is that?). Also, if you have a large menu where guests often miss items, the AI can surface hidden gems to the right audience (like that high-end sushi roll might not show to someone usually ordering on a budget, etc.).

Restaurants focused on customer experience and innovation will love UEAT as it keeps them on the cutting edge. Conversely, if you’re old-school and believe everyone should see the same menu, maybe it’s not your cup of tea – but you’d be potentially missing out on a powerful tool. In the era of digital-first consumers, personalization is expected (look at how Starbucks app customizes offers to each user) – restaurants adopting UEAT are basically meeting that expectation. So if you have a modern mindset and want to drive sales in your digital channels, UEAT is for you.

How to get started:

UEAT operates as a platform (they provide the online ordering interface or integrate into yours). To start, you sign up with UEAT and go through onboarding. You’ll upload your menu to their system – including all items, categories, modifiers, combos, images, descriptions, and any known data like which items pair well or which are high-profit (you likely tag those or the system learns it through sales data). If you have historical sales data, that can feed the AI initially. UEAT’s team often helps configure the AI based on their experience plus any specifics you provide (like “push our chef’s specials more” or “don’t suggest bacon to someone who clicked vegan filter” – yes it respects tags like vegan/gluten-free for suggestions).

Then, you integrate it with your ordering channels: maybe it becomes your website’s ordering page (with your branding), or it’s installed on tablets/kiosks at your store. Connect it with your POS and inventory if possible, so it stays in sync (they likely have integrations with major POS systems). Next, as customers use it, the AI starts collecting behavioral data: what do people click, what combos are popular, etc. Pretty quickly (even within weeks) it will have enough to start personalizing more deeply.

If you have a CRM or loyalty, integrate that so returning customers are recognized – even by something like email or phone number. The system will then do its thing automatically – you might see in the backend metrics like conversion rate improvements, recommended vs non-recommended item sales, etc. You can typically adjust the AI’s “tone” – e.g., how aggressive it is in upselling vs being subtle. It might also allow customizing the logic, like if you want to promote a specific item (maybe you got seasonal stock of peaches – you can tell UEAT to really highlight the peach cobbler to everyone). But even if you do nothing, it will optimize based on what drives results.

Running UEAT also requires monitoring: you’d check its analytics dashboard to glean insights. For example, it might show that customers who see a photo of your steak dish are 40% more likely to order it than those who don’t – so you ensure photos for all items. Or it could reveal that people often add a drink when recommended, boosting drink sales by X%. Those sorts of data let you validate the ROI of the system (which by all accounts is strong – more sales easily pay for the software cost). UEAT might also allow AB testing of menu changes – you could test a new dish on a segment of customers and see response before a full launch. It’s wise to continuously feed it good data: e.g., mark items as vegan, spicy, kid-friendly, etc., so it can personalize for those preferences it detects.

Also, keep updating with seasonal items so the AI knows what new stuff to recommend. Over time, as you accumulate a lot of customer data, you might even integrate that with marketing (like targeted email offers based on UEAT data). But the day-to-day is mostly hands-off: the menu just works better now. You’ll likely notice larger order sizes, and maybe customers mentioning how easy the online ordering was. Restaurants have seen more combos or extras being ordered without any staff prompting – that’s UEAT quietly doing upsell magic. One chain, for example, saw many more people adding poutine to their burger orders once UEAT started suggesting it – voila, more revenue!

In essence, getting started is about integrating the tech and trusting the AI. It’s a bit like hiring a super-smart menu engineer that constantly tweaks things for optimum sales. Once it’s up, you let it run and reap the benefits: higher sales, personalized customer experiences, and a cutting-edge menu that practically sells itself. 🍔📈

🧠 If you enjoyed this week’s deep dive, forward it to someone in your restaurant who wants to fully grasp AI. They’ll thank you later.

Your slightly self-deprecating, definitely human narrators,
Anicia & Shane